Scalise recounts shooting recovery in prayer breakfast speech

WASHINGTON—House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., gave the keynote address at the 66th annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, reflecting on his faith after his near-death experience. A lone gunman shot Scalise during an attack on Republican lawmakers practicing baseball in June. “The first thing I thought of was to pray,” he said. Scalise spent 15 weeks in the hospital and has continued the rehabilitation process after returning to work. He said if not for the brave actions of law enforcement at the scene and the many prayers of support he would not have survived the attack. In a sign of bipartisan unity, Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, introduced Scalise, reflecting on their friendship and shared faith in God. Richmond said he was at the Democratic team’s practice when he heard the news about the shooting: “The first thing we did was get on our knees and pray. We prayed for a miracle.” The National Prayer Breakfast, started in 1953 by the Fellowship Foundation, each year gathers together members of Congress, the president, and leaders from nations around the world. Reps. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., and Charlie Crist, D-Fla., co-chaired this year’s event. President Donald Trump delivered remarks for the second year in a row, highlighting faith’s influence in the country’s founding. “America is a nation of believers, and together we are strengthened by prayer,” Trump said. Scalise echoed that sentiment. “This is a nation that was not founded in agnostic views,” he said. “This was a nation founded with a deep belief in God.”